


Love?

by smexifelix



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Confessions, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Funny, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, M/M, Walking In On Someone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-24
Updated: 2017-09-26
Packaged: 2019-01-05 02:02:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12180726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smexifelix/pseuds/smexifelix
Summary: Love confessions don't always go smoothly.





	1. Confession

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own Ninjago!

“Nya!” Kai calls out as he swings her bedroom door open. He sees Nya on her bed with her eyes closed, and they shoot open in shock the moment he calls out her name. “You’ve got to help me!” he continues, not caring if he woke her up; this is important! It takes him another second to realize three things. One: the light’s on, so Nya probably wasn’t sleeping; two: Nya’s (flushed) face conveys less surprise or anger than it does horror; three: there are lumps under the covers that are too large to be just Nya’s body. Looking closer, there’s the form of another a person under the covers whose head appears to be where Nya’s hips should be.

“Oh my god!” Kai bolts out of the room and slams the door behind him. He doesn’t stop running until he reaches his room, where he curls up into a ball on his bed, clutching his stomach with his hands. Kai thinks he might just die. Two shocks this big in less than an hour might just be more than his heart can handle.

Isn’t it pathetic that he’s almost glad that he was traumatized by walking in on his sister getting head? At least it was censored, he thinks, and for a moment he forgot about the stupid mistake he made just moments before. Of course, it was a mistake for him to open her bedroom door without knocking, but that was nothing compared to what he said to Lloyd. For the first time in his life, Kai feels like he might actually hate himself.

* * *

 

Kai and Lloyd were playing video games together, side by side. It was just the two of them. It was late, and Kai was pretty sure everyone else had gone to bed. He was tired, but it felt nice to spend some time with just Lloyd. After all, he had always had a soft spot for the younger male. Before, Kai had felt responsible for Lloyd. First, he’d wanted to keep him out of trouble, then he’d wanted to train him as well as protect him. Then, Lloyd had by far exceeded Kai, and Kai admired his strength.

But, Kai didn’t just admire the strength of Lloyd’s spinjitzu abilities. He admired his strong heart. Lloyd never gave up. Lloyd had faith in their ninja team, even when they didn’t have faith in themselves. Lloyd cared about the wellbeing of everyone so much that he would risk his life to save a stranger. Kai thought that whoever Lloyd would end up giving his heart to would be an incredible woman.

Kai and Lloyd chatted as they played for a while, but eventually, they stopped talking and just button-mashed on their controllers. Sooner or later, Kai could tell that Lloyd was getting tired. Lloyd ended up leaning against Kai’s shoulder as they played, and he wasn’t playing as well either.

At the end of a level on the video game, Kai threw his arm lazily over Lloyd’s shoulders and patted the shoulder opposite to him. “You aren’t tired, are you?” he teased.

Lloyd shook his head. “No, not at all!” he insisted, but from the sound of his slightly rough, lower-than-usual voice, he was lying.

Kai laughed. He stretched both hands into the air and rose to his feet, cracking his joints with a tired groan. “It’s fine, I’m tired, too. Let’s call it a night.”

“Wait-” Lloyd said, and it sounded like he cut himself off.

Kai looked at Lloyd. The blond was looking downward and biting his lip. His face had much more color than usual. “What is it?” Kai asked. “Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah, it’s just… There’s - something I want to talk to you about,” Lloyd admitted.

Kai sat back down on the couch. “Okay, sure.”

Lloyd took a long, deep breath. He was fiddling with and looking down at his hands. Then, he shook his head. “Nevermind. It’s nothing.”

Kai put his hand on Lloyd’s back. “It doesn’t seem like nothing. Come on, you can tell me anything.”

Lloyd quickly turned his face towards Kai and blurted out, “I like you!” Kai froze in shock. Lloyd bit his lip and looked away. Kai’s hand dropped to his side.

‘He likes me?’ Kai thought, ‘I mean, of course, he likes me. He likes the whole team; we’re all friends. But if he’s making a big deal out of it, that obviously means… But it can’t be! Is Lloyd gay? Does he think _I’m_ gay? And why the heck do I feel like this? I’m not grossed out at all; in fact, I even feel… That can’t be! I can’t feel this way about _Lloyd_!’

Kai forced himself to laugh. “What are you talking about? Don’t say things like that, people will get the wrong idea. You’re making it sound like me like you would like a girl.”

Lloyd balled his hands into fists and looked Kai in the eye. Kai could see an intense swarm of emotions that made Kai feel a little dizzy. “I don’t like girls. Or even boys. I just like you. I… I’m in love with you.”

Kai’s heart nearly leaped out of his chest - and the way those words made him feel confused him to the point that it pissed him off. “That’s disgusting!” Kai exclaimed.

Lloyd’s facial expression contorted into both hurt and anger. “What? _How?_ ” Lloyd retorted. “You think loving another boy is disgusting? Or do you just think _I’m_ disgusting?”

Kai groaned. “I like girls, and even though you look as old as I am, you’re still just a kid. Did you _actually_ think it was possible for me to like you back?”

Lloyd was trembling. It looked like he was either going to cry or hit something. Instead, though, he ran out of the living room so fast that Kai didn’t know it was happening until he was already almost out.

When everything that just happened really hit him, Kai bowed his head in shame and clutched his temples tightly with one hand. What had he done? What should he do now? All he could think of to do was to ask Nya for advice.

* * *

 

Lloyd wakes up to the sound of his name. He’s on the floor of the training room, and his eyes are crusty. It takes him a moment to remember why he’s there, and when he does he wishes he was still sleeping so he wouldn’t have to remember. After he was brutally rejected, he ended up training until he passed out. He wonders how much sleep he managed to get; he doesn’t feel rested at all.

“Lloyd,” Zane asks, “what are you doing sleeping on the floor of the training room?”

Lloyd yawns loudly and wills himself to stand. “I was training, and then I fell asleep.”

“What were you doing training so late at night? Is there something bothering you?” Zane wonders.

Lloyd dismisses the question with, “I’m fine. Don’t worry, I’ll go back to my own bed now.”

“But it is already morning,” Zane points out.

“Yeah. Tell Sensei Wu that I can’t do morning training because I was training late last night. I need to get some more sleep.” And, hopefully, he’ll have dreams that will make him forget everything that happened last night, if only for a while.

* * *

 

“Where are Lloyd and Kai?” Sensei Wu asks at the start of morning training.

“Lloyd was up all night training. I found him asleep on the floor just over there,” Zane says, pointing to the spot where Lloyd passed out. “Then he went back to his room to get some more sleep.”

“He was up all night training? How unusual,” Sensei Wu muses. “But what about Kai?”

“I don’t know, but he seemed pretty worried last night,” Nya says. Jay looks at the ground, his cheeks pink. “I never found out what he was upset about, though.”

“Do you think something happened between Lloyd and Kai?” Cole suggests.

“That is a possibility,” says Sensei Wu. “Nya, will you talk to your brother?”

“I’ll try,” Nya says.

Sensei Wu nods slowly. “Very well. I’ll talk to Lloyd once he awakes. Everyone else, get to training.”

“Yes, Sensei.”

* * *

 

 

There’s a knock on Kai’s door. He wraps his blanket around him like a cocoon and buries his face into his pillow. Maybe if he hides, he can pretend not to exist.

“Kai!” Nya’s voice calls. “I know you’re in there! It’s time for morning training.”

“What’s that?” Kai calls back. “I can’t hear you! I’m too busy getting my vagina eaten!” ‘Wow, I really am an asshole,’ Kai thinks, but he doesn’t know how else to deal with all these complicated emotions.

“Real mature!” Nya says. “At least I have the courtesy knock!”

Kai covers his ears. “I can’t deal with this right now,” he mutters under his breath.

“I’m coming in,” Nya announces, and Kai hears the door open.

Kai sighs and sits up in his bed, looking over at his sister. “Alright, alright, I’m up! Just give me a minute to get dressed.”

“What was it you were going to tell ask me for help with last night?” Nya asks seriously.

“It was nothing. Get out.” Kai throws his pillow at her.

“Alright,” Nya says with exasperation.

Kai tries to mentally prepare himself to face Lloyd on his walk over to the training room. He doesn’t feel prepared at all once he reaches it, but nonetheless, he pokes his head in. Then he realizes that Lloyd isn’t at morning training, and the boiling guilt in his abdomen becomes searing.

“Kai, what happened?” Zane asks.

“I slept in,” Kai grunts. Then he immerses himself in training.


	2. Apology

Kai needs to talk to Lloyd. He needs to apologize. But, every time he tries to get alone in the same room as him, Lloyd runs away. He could, of course, just ask to talk to him alone while others are around, but everyone is nosy enough as it is. He doesn’t even know how to act around Lloyd. After what Kai told him, Lloyd has every right to hate him.

Kai has been thinking nonstop about what Lloyd said, and what he said, and how he felt about it all. He’s come to a terrifying conclusion: he likes Lloyd, and instead of admitting it he hurt Lloyd by denying it with all he had. He was afraid. He _is_ afraid. God, he feels so pathetic. This isn’t like him at all.

But Kai isn’t going to let the past eat him any longer. He needs to take responsibility for his actions. He is going to find a way to talk to Lloyd and he is going to man up, apologize, and tell Lloyd the truth.

* * *

 

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Lloyd told his uncle when he asked him if he was alright. He told the same thing to everyone else who asked, and everyone asked except for Kai. Of course, that was because Kai was the only one who knew what was wrong.

Speaking of Kai, Lloyd tried not to so much as look at him, let alone talk to him. He did whatever he could not to be alone in the same room as him.

What has Lloyd done? Did he ruin his friendship with Kai by greedily wanting to be more than friends with him? Is it so wrong to love Kai like he does? They’re both men. And, chronologically, Lloyd is still only 15 years old, while Kai is 22. He forgets that a lot because he looks and feels as old as Kai is.

Lloyd hurts. But he’s afraid to talk to anyone about it. What if they, too, get disgusted?

There’s a knock on Lloyd’s bedroom door. At first, he ignores it, but then comes another set of knocks. And another. And another.

“Okay, okay, I get it already,” Lloyd says before opening the door.

Before Lloyd stands Kai, who has an anxious and apologetic look on his face. At first, Lloyd thinks he might be dreaming. But, Kai’s voice snaps Lloyd out of his daze. “Lloyd,” Kai says, and Lloyd quickly closes the door in Kai’s face out of panic. The doorknob turns, but Lloyd presses his back against the door and slides down to the floor.

“Come on, Lloyd, open up! I need to tell you something,” Kai says.

“Just forget about last night!” Lloyd calls through the door. “It didn’t happen!”

“How can I forget it if you keep avoiding me?”Kai argues. Lloyd doesn’t respond. “Please, just open the door. I’m here to apologize, and I want to do it face to face.”

'Apologize?' Lloyd thinks. He takes a deep breath before standing up and opening the door. Lloyd can’t look Kai in the eye, but he says, “Come in.”

Lloyd sits down on the edge of his bed. Kai sits down beside him, and Lloyd looks down at his lap, trying not to be conscious of how close they are, even though they aren’t even touching.

“I’m sorry, ” Kai says, and Lloyd bravely looks up to see sincere amber eyes. “You aren’t disgusting. I was just-” He seemed to be fighting himself over words for a moment. “-really surprised. I didn't know how to react.”

Lloyd bites his lip and averts his gaze, his heart clenching in his chest. “I’m sorry, too. I didn’t plan on telling you, I just - it just came out.”

“Don’t apologize,” Kai says. Lloyd looks up in surprise at the gentle tone of his voice; and when he does, he suddenly feels like Kai’s looking straight into his soul. The stinging pain in Lloyd’s chest recedes, and his whole body feels warm. “There’s nothing wrong about feeling how you feel. And, I mean, I’m… _happy_ that you feel that way about me. I mean, you’re an amazing person. You’re the green ninja, for crying out loud! In fact, I’m pretty sure I don’t even deserve you - and I’m awesome.”

Lloyd’s heart squeezes and hammers. He bites his lip, his eyes shining with hope and uncertainty, and asks, “Is this the part where you try to let me down gently? Because you know saying things like that is just leading me on.”

Kai groans softly and shakes his head. The look in his eyes makes Lloyd’s heart melt. “No, this is the part where I tell you that, if I’m honest, I like you too. A lot.”

Lloyd’s breath catches. He can only stare in awe, his mind an incoherent mess of jubilant gibberish.

Kai frowns slightly and glances to the side. “But I don’t know if you’re considered a minor or not, and I’ve never gone out with a guy before. If we were to date openly, I’m not sure how people would react.”

Lloyd lets out a breath and smirks, feeling confident despite Kai's unease. Kai likes him, too, and that's more than enough to lift his spirits. “What’s with that?” Lloyd says, and Kai’s eyes meet his. “If anyone doesn’t like it, they’ll have to keep it to themselves. I’m not going to take their shit - it’s none of their business, anyway,” Lloyd says proudly. Kai smiles and chuckles. “And I’m sure the team will be fine with it, at least after a little time to get used to it. Same-gender relationships aren’t that uncommon, you know. And even though I’ve only lived for 15 years, my body’s an adult. And I have life experience that most people don’t: like, I don’t know, _saving the world_.” Lloyd scoots toward Kai and puts a hand on his arm, his eyes bearing into Kai’s. “So, what do you say? Will you be my boyfriend?”

Kai smirks, leans forward, and kisses Lloyd. It’s a short kiss, but Lloyd can still feel the lingering warmth of Kai’s lips when he pulls away. He touches his lips. He wasn’t sure what to expect for his first kiss, but he’s not disappointed. In fact, he wants to do it again. And again. And again.

“Does that answer your question?” Kai asks, and instead of responding with words, Lloyd captures his lips with his own. Lloyd isn’t entirely sure what he’s doing, so he lets Kai lead the kiss and tries to follow. The kiss becomes full and wet, and it feels beautiful.

Kai pushes Lloyd down onto the bed and climbs on top of him. Lloyd’s surprised at first, but he soon recovers and wraps his arms around Kai’s neck.

Eventually, Kai pulls away and rolls off of Lloyd, onto the bed beside him. Lloyd turns onto his side, and they just look at each other for a long moment, both panting a little.

“I love you,” Lloyd says.

Kai smiles and gives Lloyd another short peck on the lips. “I don’t know about love, but I like you a lot,” he says. Then, he smirks and adds, “And I love that you love me.”

Lloyd chuckles and rolls his eyes. He wraps his arms around Kai, and Kai reciprocates. They lay side by side on Lloyd's bed until Lloyd falls asleep with a small smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed reading! Please tell me what you think and why, whether your opinion is good or bad; I love feedback!

**Author's Note:**

> What did you think so far? I love input!


End file.
